Happy Birthday

"Jiu De Mai, what is it?"

Luo Qiusheng's voice was cool and even, edged with an impersonal distance. There was none of the easy familiarity of their past conversations; even through the phone, he sounded faintly distant.

There was a brief two-second silence on the other end. The wind seemed to be sweeping across the receiver.

Jiu De Mai lifted her phone a little farther from her ear and checked the name flashing on the screen several times. Once she was certain it really said Luo Qiusheng, she pursed her lips in annoyance and said, with just the right touch of coquettish reproach, "When we were together on the beach, you called me Little Yiyi so sweetly and tenderly. Now you've turned your back on me and gone straight to using my full name. You really are a heartless bastard."

Luo Qiusheng's eyes were dark as he kept them fixed on the Mercedes-Benz pulling away ahead. Impatience and urgency knitted his brows together, but his tone remained utterly calm. "I don't have time to joke around with you right now. Get to the point. What do you want?"

His cool voice swept away the flirtatious mood on the phone, leaving only brisk bluntness.

Jiu De Mai dropped her playful act. Her voice grew a little more serious as she said, "The boss asked me to tell you to look after Lu Mingfei's feelings."

At those words, Luo Qiusheng paused. A flicker of surprise suddenly crossed his eyes.

Look after Lu Mingfei's feelings?

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of his phone as questions surged through his mind. He couldn't make sense of what those words meant.

Lu Mingze, the Little Devil lurking in Lu Mingfei's mind, wanted nothing more than to push Lu Mingfei into ruin, break him, and turn him completely dark. He craved the dragon's power hidden within Lu Mingfei and would have stripped every last trace of light and tenderness from the boy. Why would he suddenly tell Luo Qiusheng to take such careful care of Lu Mingfei, even deliberately reminding him to mind his boundaries?

That was completely out of character for Lu Mingze.

Luo Qiusheng listened closely, trying to make out the voice on the other end. It was clear and lazy, unmistakably Jiu De Mai's real voice, with no distortion whatsoever. No one else could be impersonating her.

Doubts piled up and circled through his mind, growing heavier by the moment.

But he had no time to probe them now. The Mercedes-Benz ahead was already growing more distant, about to round the corner and disappear from sight.

Luo Qiusheng pushed down his questions and stopped dwelling on the odd call. He hit the accelerator and sped up, chasing after the Mercedes-Benz.

In the dim, quiet room, light flickered across the screen, and flecks of blue illuminated the dense lines of data spread over the desk.

Su Enxi tapped the keyboard, her gaze fixed on the crisscrossing red and green data filling the screen. Without lifting her head, she asked casually, with a hint of curiosity, "How did it go? Did he understand?"

"What do you think?" Jiu De Mai covered her face and sighed helplessly, her voice filled with rueful frustration. "Our deep-thinking Mr. Luo scared our little baby Lu Mingfei off again."

"Could he have misunderstood what the boss meant?" Su Enxi's eyes remained glued to the shifting data, her brows knitting slightly as a hint of uncertainty crept into her voice.

She had a feeling Jiu De Mai's message had been far too vague, as if it concealed some other meaning. But every time her thoughts reached the crux of it, the answer slipped away like sand through her fingers. She was just a hair's breadth from understanding, yet could never quite grasp it. Countless little thoughts tangled and leaped through her mind, so she could only set aside her doubts for the moment and focus on reviewing the mission data in front of her.

Just then, a crisp ringtone abruptly shattered the quiet.

Su Enxi glanced down at the caller ID, her expression immediately turning serious. She answered softly, "Boss?"

Lu Mingze's voice came through the phone, young and cold, without a trace of unnecessary emotion. His orders were brief and decisive. "Jormungandr is about to appear. Keep an eye on the situation. Give Lu Mingfei the help he needs at the right moment, and keep things within bounds."

As soon as he finished speaking, the call ended. Only the busy tone echoed through the silence.

Jiu De Mai and Su Enxi exchanged a look. Shock and understanding showed in both their eyes. They didn't need to say a word; the same name surfaced in their minds at once—Luo Qiusheng.

The scene from last night, when the two of them stood alongside Luo Qiusheng and first unleashed Blood Rage to face the dragon's might, remained vivid in their memories: the searing heat of their blood, and the boy's calm, resolute profile, as clear as if it had happened only yesterday.

Even earlier, Luo Qiusheng had casually warned them in advance: Your little baby is about to get into trouble again.

The doubts that had been circling in their minds then now turned into genuine shock.

The same absurd yet utterly believable thought rose in both their minds: Could it be... Luo Qiusheng had predicted it ahead of time again?

On the other side of the street, Luo Qiusheng followed close behind and watched the boy hurrying ahead. He tapped the screen and quickly sent a message.

Luo Qiusheng: [Lu Mingfei, StarCraft at the usual place tonight. I'll cover the computer fee.]

Only a few seconds after he sent it, his phone vibrated softly.

The screen lit up with Lu Mingfei's instant reply, every word brimming with excitement and anticipation: [What are we waiting for? I'll be there on time!]

Lu Mingfei clutched his phone, a smile rising to his lips before he knew it. His eyes shone with eager anticipation. But in the next instant, the notice about the top-secret S-rank mission and the academy's high-risk alert flashed through his mind, and his smile quickly faded. Uncertainty and hesitation stirred in his heart.

Since enrolling, he had never been on a mission, let alone one as dangerous as an S-rank mission.

Just hearing "S-rank"—just listening to the senior students talk about them—was enough to make his blood run cold. He had no confidence at all. He was nervous about taking on such an extremely difficult mission for the first time, yet he also couldn't suppress a trace of curiosity.

Chu Zihang, driving the black car ahead, caught every change in Lu Mingfei's expression in the rearview mirror.

The timidity and dullness had faded from the boy's face, replaced by a lively spark, along with the rashness and anticipation of a calf unafraid of tigers.

Chu Zihang's gaze darkened slightly, and a quiet sense of emotion stirred in his heart. Without realizing it, he had come to find Lu Mingfei utterly unreadable.

It seemed to have started when Luo Qiusheng appeared by Lu Mingfei's side. The boy who had always been timid and insecure, living in the shadows of the crowd, had gradually changed. He was no longer the ordinary high schooler who could only shrink back and run from trouble. There was a light in his eyes now, along with thoughts no one else could understand.

"Eva said you went to a class reunion last night."

Chu Zihang spoke suddenly, his cool, calm voice breaking the silence in the car. His tone was even, with no hint of suspicion or interrogation. He was simply stating a fact.

Lu Mingfei stiffened all over. A familiar, awkward feeling rose in his heart—the feeling of being watched completely.

He knew that sensation all too well.

The last time had been at Shilan High School's graduation party, when Nono had used Eva to pry into his life. This time, it was Chu Zihang, who had always been so steady and dependable.

His fingers tightened slightly, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

Noticing Lu Mingfei stiffen, Chu Zihang explained calmly, "I didn't know where you'd been, so I asked Eva."

His mild, matter-of-fact explanation only made Lu Mingfei more embarrassed. He had no idea how to respond.

He ranted furiously to himself. There was no way he could turn to Senior Brother Chu, who had always looked after him and put up with him, put on the solemn airs of a mission officer, and say that he had mission authorization and was supposed to be giving his senior orders, while he himself sneaked off to an internet café to play games, was there?

Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone again, his fingers hovering over the screen as he wavered back and forth.

Just as he finally made up his mind to reply to Luo Qiusheng and confirm their internet café plans for that evening, Chu Zihang's warm, clear voice slowly reached his ears, instantly wiping away every stray thought.

"Happy birthday, Lu Mingfei."

The simple words fell lightly beside his ear, yet weighed so much that Lu Mingfei froze.

A string of question marks crowded into his mind. He completely short-circuited, sitting dazed in his seat.

In all his life, no one had ever remembered his birthday especially for him, much less said "Happy birthday" to his face. Eva didn't count. Chu Zihang was the first person to celebrate his birthday.

A bittersweet ache and warmth welled up together, surging into a scorching tide.

Every thought of having fun vanished in an instant. His sense of responsibility completely overwhelmed his selfish wishes.

Lu Mingfei hesitated no longer. He quickly deleted his original message, typed a new one, and sent it.

Lu Mingfei: [I'm not going to play games tonight. I'm going to take the mission seriously!]

On the suburban road, a red Ferrari 458 Italia sped smoothly along, the wind slipping through a crack in the window and stirring Luo Qiusheng's clothes.

He glanced at the phone screen glowing in the passenger seat. After reading Lu Mingfei's reply, the cool line of his lips slowly curved into a faint, knowing smile.

With a light tap of his fingers, he turned the phone facedown on the seat.

Luo Qiusheng looked ahead, a glimmer of meaning passing through his eyes, and murmured softly to himself.

Lu Mingfei, Lu Mingfei—you really are still that sensitive, hapless kid.